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Monday, April 25, 2016

Old postcard from Egypt that's on its way to Russia

I recently received a nice Postcrossing card from a woman in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. As thanks, I wanted to send a postcard in return. It turns out that she has a 13-year-old daughter who loves "everything associated with Egypt." So I'm sending her this old, unused card postcard from that Middle Eastern country. Because what good is it to let postcards sit in a shoebox when they can instead travel through the mails and help inspire a new generation of students, collectors and history buffs?

On the front, in cursive script, the postcard is labeled "The Pyramids and Village during Nile Flood."

"If it were not for the Nile River, Egyptian civilization could not have developed, as it is the only significant source of water in this desert region. Its other importance was the fact that it was their gateway to the unknown world. The Nile flows from south to north, to its delta on the Mediterranean Sea. It would flood each year, bringing in silt-laden waters; when the waters receded the silt would stay behind, fertilizing the land for growing crops. If a flood was too large it would wash over mud dykes protecting a village. A small flood or no flood at all would mean famine. A flood must be of just the right intensity for a good season."

The flooding is still celebrated each August in a holiday called Wafaa El-Nil.

This postcard has a purple stamp on the back that states "Pyramids Photo Store & Book Shop." It was published by Lehnert & Landrock of Cairo.

Now it's on its way to western Russia after many decades in the United States.

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About the Author

I'm Chris Otto, a Pennsylvania resident and journalist whose hobbies and interests include old books, ephemera, history, folklore, alpacas, photography and much more. Never stop reading, learning and asking questions! I consider this blog to be a spiritual descendant of Microsoft Encarta and a companion to Wikipedia. Every piece of paper tells a story.
Reach me at chrisottopa (at) gmail.com.

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Papergreat was mentioned in Stephanie Clifford's August 7, 2011, article in The New York Times titled "Shopper Receipts Join Paperless Age." Find out why, years ago, I held onto a receipt for a hot dog!

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